To clear temporary files automatically in Windows 10, you need to enable the new option. Open Settings and go to System -> Storage. There, you will find the option named "Storage Sense". Enable it.

Next, click the link "Change how we free up space" under the switch.

The related page will be opened:

There, you will see a number of options. The one we need is Delete files in my Downloads folder that haven't changed for over 30 days.

Files stored in the Downloads folder for more than 30 days will be deleted for example as part of this cleanup.

It is a good idea to keep this turned on. The Downloads directory continues to store old files you may not need any more and fills your disk drive with junk. When this option is enabled, Windows will delete them automatically and keep your drive clean besides saving your disk space.

There are more ways to clean up your disk drive automatically, which can be used in Windows 10. Check out these articles:

About Sergey Tkachenko

Sergey Tkachenko is a software developer from Russia who started Winaero back in 2011. On this blog, Sergey is writing about everything connected to Microsoft, Windows and popular software. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter or Google+.

This is confusing for me because the downloads folder is the place I put certain files deliberately. It would not accumulate junk without me noticing it and emptying it automatically is the last thing I would want. Temp files and folders are another matter. I believe Windows temp files historically could be deleted without issues except when they couldn’t. I don’t know if in Windows 10 a temp file is actually a temp file that can be safely tossed after it’s done its job.